DBEDT NEWS RELEASE: Local talent from Creative Lab Hawaii get ready to show off their ideas at the game developers conference

HONOLULU – The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s (DBEDT) Creative Industries Division (CID) applauds Creative Lab Hawaii (CLH) Program Mobile Game App fellows, Tracy Davidson (Kauai) and Stacey Hayashi (Oahu), for being selected by their mentors to participate in this year’s Game Developers Conference (GDC) held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, March 1 to 3, 2017.

“It’s exciting to see our creative entrepreneurs going off to pitch ideas and showcase Hawaii’s talent at the world’s largest professional game industry event,’ said DBEDT Director Luis P. Salaveria. “Creative Lab Hawaii has tremendous potential, and continues to advance Hawaii’s innovation economy.”

CLH establishes a pipeline of talent development from training and development to workforce in the creative industries. CLH is designed to accelerate the growth of Hawaii’s creative products for global export, providing access for entrepreneurs to industry decision-makers through immersive mentoring in a year-round program, as well as weekend boot camps.

“By connecting industry leaders to mentor developing talent across the media, music, fashion and animation industries, Creative Lab Hawaii is building a pipeline or creative continuum of opportunity to earn a high wage and establish Hawaii as a base of intellectual property creation in the Pacific,” added Georja Skinner, chief officer, CID, and founder of the CLH Program

Tracy Davidson, chief executive officer of “Tracy’s Map”

“The Game Developers Conference is the largest gathering of game developers, producers and publishers in the world, and we are excited to provide Tracy and Stacey with the opportunity to attend the conference,” stated Michael Andres Palmieri, executive director of Creative Lab Hawaii. “By attending the conference, our fellows will have the opportunity to meet industry decision-makers, attend workshops that increase their understanding of the business, and network with like-minded creative entrepreneurs.”

Strategic partners include: the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAw), and the Producers Guild of America (PGA). CLH program is sponsored by The Modern Honolulu and SpeediShuttle. Partners include Honolulu Fashion Week, Hawaii International Film Festival, Hawaii Songwriters Festival and more to come in 2017.

About of Mobile Game App Immersive fellows and their projects:

Tracy Davidson is an entrepreneur, publisher, and the chief executive officer of “Tracy’s Map.” Her Kauai-based business provides custom, promotional maps for the Hawaiian Islands. Tracy’s Map is expanding into the mobile space with two apps. The first allows users to explore Hawaii — discovering fun destinations and helpful businesses across the islands. The second app is an adventure game in the early stages of development. It will turn the legendary characters of Hawaii into friends and foes as the player journeys through fantasy and real locations.

Stacey Hayashi is a media maker, author and entrepreneur based in Oahu.

Stacey Hayashi is a media maker, author and entrepreneur based in Oahu. A former software engineer, Stacey was one of the earliest pioneers in the development of internet-based businesses focused on the manufacturing and distribution of Hawaiian products. Her interest in Japanese-American and Hawaii culture led to the development of a multimedia project celebrating the heroism and cultural significance of the 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team, and members of the Military Intelligence Service. Her mobile game app, titled “Journey of Heroes,” is an educational app created for middle-school students, their families and teachers, to educate them about WWII through the eyes of a Japanese American. She recently wrapped principal photography on, “Go For Broke,” the 100th/442/MIS origins film project for the 442nd RCT Foundation, on which she served as screenwriter and executive producer.

Creative Lab is currently accepting applications for the following upcoming 2017 programs:

GDC attracts over 27,000 attendees, and is the primary forum where programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, business decision-makers and others involved in the development of interactive games and virtual reality gather to exchange ideas and shape the future of the industry.

About DBEDT (Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism)

DBEDT is Hawaii’s resource center for economic and statistical data, business development opportunities, energy and conservation information, and foreign trade advantages. DBEDT’s mission is to achieve a Hawaii economy that embraces innovation and is globally competitive, dynamic and productive, providing opportunities for all Hawaii’s citizens. Through its attached agencies, the department fosters planned community development, creates affordable workforce housing units in high-quality living environments, and promotes innovation sector job growth.

About CID (Creative Industries Division)

CID, a division within DBEDT, is the state’s lead agency dedicated to advocating for and accelerating the growth of Hawaii’s Creative Economy. Through initiatives, program development, and strategic partnerships, the division and its branches implements activities to expand the business development, global export and investment capacity of Hawaii’s arts, culture, music, film, literary, publishing, digital and new media industries.